


Answering a Question

by CozyEmblem



Category: Halt and Catch Fire
Genre: F/F, Just some soft things, Queer Feelings, Six Years Post-Show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:00:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26553976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CozyEmblem/pseuds/CozyEmblem
Summary: Six years after the show ends, Haley wrestles with the concept of asking a girl out to dinner and, when she can't quite get there, she asks one Joe Macmillan for advice.
Relationships: Haley Clark/Original Female Character
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Answering a Question

Haley stared at the red Nokia sitting on her desk. Around her, the company she had built buzzed. It had started as a carbon copy of Comet and iterated over a year to give it a life of its own. Here in her office, however, things were terribly quiet. She wanted to leave, to go out onto the floor and just bask in the chaos that, to her, represented creativity. But she couldn’t do that. She had a phone call to make.

“Come on,” She whispered to herself. She had done so many terrifying things over the years and she had a handful of great people to help. But this one she had to do on her own. Next to her phone there sat a scrap of paper with ‘Alison’ written above a phone number. She swallowed. Had it really been six years since she had asked a girl out? It shouldn’t be so hard, she had the phone number! She grabbed the phone, her heart hammering in her chest. But when she went to hit the first number she shook her head and held down the number three instead. The phone started dialing and she held it up to her ear. What was she doing? This was a terrible idea she-

“Haley, I was just thinking about you.” Joe’s voice was a comforting baritone that helped her find the ground. It always had been. “How are things at Rocket Software?”

“Oh, they’re good.” Haley smiled, closing her eyes and letting herself sink into the comfort of talking to her- her what? She wasn’t sure, it didn’t really matter. He was just Joe. “Do you have anything to do tonight?”

“Oh, uh.” For a moment she worried he would say no. He hadn’t before, but there was a first time for every- “No, I’m free. Did you want to get dinner?”

“That would be great.” Haley smiled. “I’ll buy?” A teacher’s income really limited their options and she liked to treat.

“You know, one of these days you’re going to let me pay.”

“Are you going to accept a co-founder position?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay, then it’s me. See you at seven?”

“You’ve got it.” She could hear him smiling and she felt its mirror on her face as she hung up. Well. At least she had made some kind of dinner plans. That was something, wasn’t it?

#

When she arrived at the restaurant he was already waiting at the door in what looked like a very comfortable brown sweater, sleeves pushed to his elbows. She hugged him and he squeezed her like it had been months since they had seen each other, not a week. There were very few other benefits to making the headquarters for Rocket Software in Joe’s hometown.

“Hungry?” He asked and she grinned, nodding. When they found themselves seated Joe picked up his menu and Haley cleared her throat, her heart hammering.

“Joe?”

“Mmm?” He asked, looking up from his menu. He saw something that made him set his menu down and Haley wondered if he could see how quickly the artery in her throat was pumping.

“What if…” She bit her lip. “Would you still…” She closed her eyes, the world starting to spin slowly around her. “Joe, I’m gay.” She opened her eyes to see him staring at her, stunned. Well, that was one way to go about it. “I’m sorry, I-” She scooted once to try and leave the booth and his hand rested gently on her forearm. She glanced up at him and the softness in his face put a lump in her throat. She bit her lip.

“Haley, you have nothing to be sorry for. I love you, it’s okay.” He glanced up at the restaurant and pulled a five from his pocket, setting it on the table. “Let’s get out of here, go for a drive?”

“Yeah,” She nodded, suddenly feeling extremely tense having made her confession in the middle of a restaurant. What was she thinking? Well, she supposed thinking wasn’t exactly what she had been doing from the second she picked up the phone. Joe led her to his car, nothing like the fancy ones he had growing up, but comfortable and economic. She buckled her belt and he started to drive. “You don’t know how good it feels to tell someone besides Haley.” She said. “I’m surprised no one guessed, I mean I wasn’t really being subtle.” She glanced at him and saw him smiling. “Oh.”

“I wanted you to be the one to tell me.” He said.

“How long did you know?”

“Remember when we were doing those interviews for Comet?”

“And I took you to the hot dog place.” Haley grimaced.

“And the server came.” Joe nodded.

“Was I that obvious?” She asked. “I mean, for a straight man to have noticed. No offense, you are Joe Macmillan, I don’t know why I thought I could hide something from you, I mean you built your whole career on reading people-”

“Haley, why do you think I’m straight?” Joe asked and Haley felt a bolt of lightning slam through her. _I should have brought a flashlight_. She thought irrationally. She swallowed.

“I…” She frowned. “I…Cameron?”

“I just like people, period.” Joe said, his voice the same calm gentleness as it had always been despite the gravity of his confession.

“Oh.” Haley said, her voice small. “Oh, Joe I’m sorry I never-”

“Don’t be sorry,” Joe laughed. “It’s okay. I’m glad we finally could tell each other. I’ve wanted to tell you since the restaurant, but then Gordon.” The good cheer evaporated a little and Haley saw the way his jaw tightened.

“So, I actually… wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Anything, always.” Joe said, his tone so easy that she knew he would always say the same thing for as long as she knew him.

“I met a girl. I haven’t asked anyone out since the girl at the hot dog place rejected me. I’ve just been focusing on school and Rocket. But she’s in one of my classes and I asked for her number but when I went to call her…”

“You called me instead.” Joe smiled. “You want a burger, by the way? I can cover this.” He pointed to a drive thru on the right and Haley nodded.

"I guess you finally got to pay." She said and he laughed.

“You should call her.”

“But! I haven’t told you anything about her, like what her interests are or what she likes to do. I don’t even know if she likes the same things I do let alone-”

“Haley, that’s what dates are for. You could find out everything about her, figure out her favorite flower, make her her favorite cookies. But you’re not asking her to prom. The more you build things up, the harder it is to ask someone else next time if it doesn’t work. Sometimes things just fall into your lap and all you can do is decide to pick them up or set them aside. And if she gave you her number? From experience, I’m pretty sure she’ll be up for dinner.” He rolled down his window to order. Ten minutes later they were sitting in a small park eating fast food on a chilly night sitting on the soft grass.

“Do you really think she’ll say yes?” Haley asked as she tossed her trash into the paper bag.

“Of course,” Joe said. “You’re Haley Clark. She’s lucky to get a call from you.”

“No,” Haley grinned, shaking her head.

“Yes!” Joe said, grinning back. “You’re the founder of a second company at nineteen! You built the idea for Comet, you’re building custom software faster, cheaper than anyone else in the business and there is nothing you can’t do. You’re amazing and you’re going to be incredible.” Haley threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I am so proud of you. Your dad would be too.”

“I wish I told him I was… I mean. I just wish I could’ve known what he’d think.”

“He’d still love you.” Joe said softly, rubbing her back. “He did love you. I may have told him.” Haley pulled back, her eyes wet.

“Joe, you’re the best uncle anyone could ask for, did you know that?” She asked. The smile on his face evaporated, replaced by vulnerable shock. She saw his eyes grow wet before he pulled her close and held her against his chest.

“I love you, kid.”

“I love you.” She said.

“Now,” He said, checking his watch. “I think you have a phone call to make.”

“I can’t have a second dinner!”

“Ask her out for tomorrow.” Joe said. “Here, I’ll drive you back to your car, but if you need me you just have to call.”

“I know.” She smiled, wiping her eyes. She would always know that.

#

“Hey, this is Haley, from class?”

“Oh hey, I’ve been wondering when you’d call.”

“Yeah it was kind of a long day, but I was wondering if you might be interested in getting some dinner with me sometime?”

“You’ve got it, tomorrow good?”

“Um.” She swallowed. “Yeah! Tomorrow sounds great! My treat.”

“Cool, see you at seven, Haley from class.” She hung up and Haley grinned, holding the number three again.

“What’s the news?” Joe asked.

“She said yes!”

“Of course she did.” She could hear him grinning. “Get some sleep, you’ve got a date tomorrow.” She heard him chuckling as he hung up and she laid back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Well, this was definitely in the running for the best day.

**Author's Note:**

> I really just wanted to answer the question, "What does life look like for Haley Clark six years down the line?"


End file.
